Aiden Markram, the captain of South Africa, praised his bowlers for a “special” performance after they bowled Afghanistan out for just 56, crushing them by nine wickets and advancing to their first-ever men’s World Cup final.
The speed three of South Africa—Marco Jansen, Kagiso Rabada, and Anrich Nortje—limited Afghanistan to 28 for 6 in 6.3 overs after the Afghans elected to bat in Tarouba. After that, Tabraiz Shamsi contributed three wickets to help Afghanistan get bowled out for their lowest T20I score.
“I suppose it’s fortunate that I lost the toss. At the award ceremony, Markram stated, “We too would have batted, so we got a bit of luck with reference to that. “However, the bowlers still needed to place their throws correctly.
“They made things really difficult for the Afghanistan batsmen by getting enough balls in the correct places. Thus, they deserve praise.
“They have been amazing for us throughout the entire competition. They’ve kept things fairly straightforward, sort of evaluated the situation, and modified their plans as necessary. And thus far, they’ve been amazing for us.”
South Africa lost Quinton de Kock in the second over of their chase, but it was their only mishap. Reeza Hendricks and Markram destroyed the target in 8.5 overs to guarantee South Africa’s facile victory in Tarouba following a string of hard-fought victories en route to the semi-final.
On the other hand, there were queries over the pitch, which was lively and active from the beginning. This game, the fifth at Brian Lara Stadium in this World Cup, was played on a brand-new surface that included noticeable cracks and areas of grass, but it also bounced unevenly as the match progressed.
Regarding the pitch, Markram stated, “Yeah, it’s pretty tough.” “A batter, after all, won’t tell you that, if you get it up and down, it doesn’t matter in your mind.
“But we were aware that this was going to require cooperation, so we addressed it a little early on. We’re fortunate to have had some luck again and been able to establish a little collaboration. It will get a little bit easier after that.
“So, chuffed to have got it over the line,” Markram remarked, admitting that their victories in the earlier rounds of the competition had been nerve-wracking.
“We’ve played a number of extremely close games. Furthermore, I am aware that many individuals are still sleeping at home in the wee hours of the morning, and we are giving them a lot of grey hairs. Thus, let’s hope that this evening provided them with a little more solace.”
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